Sachet Packaging

Sachet Packaging: Small Format, Big Impact

Sachets are the smallest format in flexible packaging and one of the most versatile. From sugar sachets on a restaurant table to single-serve coffee portions, from pharmaceutical powder doses to cosmetic sample sachets, this small format does an enormous amount of commercial and functional work.

Custom sachet packaging allows brands to create a product presentation that's consistent with their retail pack design, provides appropriate protection for the product inside, and works within the practical constraints of single-serve or sample use.

What Is Sachet Packaging?

A sachet is a small sealed flexible package, typically in a three-side seal or pillow format, designed to contain a single-dose or single-use quantity of product. They range from very small (1g sugar sachets, 3ml condiment portions) to medium-small (10g to 50g coffee or tea sachets, 100g sauce sachets).

The defining characteristic of a sachet is that it's designed to be used entirely at once. Unlike a resealable pouch or jar, a sachet is opened and emptied in a single use occasion. This means the closure is typically a simple heat seal (no zip required) and the package size matches the single-serve quantity precisely.

Materials for Sachet Packaging

Material choice depends entirely on what's inside and how long it needs to stay fresh:

PET/PE laminate: Economical, adequate for short-life products or low-barrier-requirement applications. Clear or printed. Common in stationery, personal care samples, and low-sensitivity food products.

PET/Foil/PE laminate: Full barrier for moisture, oxygen, and light. Required for sensitive products (coffee, pharmaceutical powders, supplements, spices). This is the most common specification for food sachets with shelf life requirements.

OPP/PE: Very economical option for snack or dry good sachets. Limited barrier performance compared to foil structures.

Kraft/PE or Kraft/Foil: Natural paper aesthetic with protective inner layer. Popular for artisan and organic brands.

Metallised PET/PE: Gives a silver/metallic appearance with some barrier improvement over clear PET/PE. An intermediate option between clear and full foil.

Industries Using Sachet Packaging

Food service and hospitality: Sugar, salt, pepper, ketchup, mustard, soy sauce, mayonnaise, jams, and portion-controlled condiments are universally sacheted for food service use.

Coffee and tea: Single-serve coffee sachets (for French press, pour-over, or filter) and single-brew tea sachets. Different from tea bags, these are larger-format sachets containing a full dose in a flat sachet format.

Pharmaceutical: Powder medications, oral rehydration sachets, vitamin effervescent powder doses. Regulatory requirements for pharmaceutical sachets are significant: child-resistance, tamper evidence, batch coding, and full compliance labelling.

Cosmetics and personal care: Shampoo, conditioner, facial mask, body lotion, and serum samples in sachet format. Single-use beauty sachets are common in subscription boxes, hotel rooms, and as purchase incentives.

Dietary supplements: Collagen powder, protein, electrolyte, and pre-workout formulations in single-serve sachets for convenience and portion control.

Spices and seasonings: Single-recipe spice blends, rub sachets, seasoning packs.

Sachet Design and Print

The small format of sachets creates a design constraint: there's limited space, so every element needs to work harder. Effective sachet design principles:

- Brand name and logo as the dominant element

- Single strong colour or colour combination from the brand palette

- Product name in readable size

- Mandatory labelling information (often smaller text on the reverse)

- Tear notch clearly indicated (usually a small notch or scored line at the edge)

For brands with multiple SKU varieties in sachet format, consistent design with colour coding per variety allows consumers to navigate the range at a glance.

Sachet Machine Compatibility

For brands filling sachets at volume, compatibility between the sachet specification and the filling machine is essential. Sachet machines use either vertical form-fill-seal (VFFS) or horizontal form-fill-seal (HFFS) processes. The machine type determines the film roll specification required.

For smaller volumes, pre-formed flat sachets filled and heat-sealed by hand or with a basic impulse sealer are also viable.

Minimum Orders

Sachets can be ordered in significant quantities at relatively low per-unit cost, making them viable for sample campaigns, trial packs, and promotional use even for smaller brands.

At TheCardBoardBoxes, sachet packaging is available in custom sizes, full-colour printing, and multiple material specifications. Minimum orders start at 1,000 units for most sachet formats, with fast UK production and delivery.